Vending machines in Tokyo via mrhayata on Flickr
According to Japan’s Vending Machine Manufacturers Association, there is a vending machine for every 23 people in the country. That equals out to a rough estimate of 575,000 vending machines in Tokyo alone. Japan’s vending machine craze has gained worldwide popularity for the seemingly odd and strange things that you can buy from them. The crazy vending machines of Tokyo should be on any visitor’s must-experience list.
Coca-Cola Robot Vending Machines
These robot-like vending machines have arms and walk around the city. With these, you can literally grab a Coke on the go.
Umbrella Vending Machines
In many cities around the world, street vendors stock up on umbrellas and make bank on unexpected rainy days. In Tokyo, anyone caught in a rain storm without an umbrella keeps an eye out for the next vending machine that sells them.
Coffee vending machine in Tokyo via OiMax on Flickr
Hot Soup and Drinks
Would you like sugar in your coffee is a normal question from a barista but what about a vending machine? At some of the high-tech vending machines in Tokyo, you can purchase hot coffee with optional milk and sugar. Similar style vending machines sell hot and ready-to-eat corn soup and cups of noodles.
Fresh Flowers
In Tokyo’s Shinjuku Subway Station, there is a vending machine that sells fresh flowers. It’s stocked daily, and the machine is designed to keep the flowers fresh.
Dole Bananas Vending Machine in Tokyo via Jun Seita on Flickr
Dole Bananas
The Dole Bananas vending machines sell single bananas for $1.50 and bunches of bananas for around $4-5. Conveniently, the company leaves plastic bins nearby to toss the peel. With a dearth of trash cans in the city, this is a huge selling point for the Dole machines.
Draft Beer
Long day at work or seeing the sights? Skip the bar and grab a cold draft beer from a vending machine.
-Cyndi Waite
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